Greg Aziz: Using Engineering to Lead

Engineering is one field that many people understand but can’t fully grasp as a career. Everyone understands the importance of engineering, but few can achieve a successful career as an engineer. Engineering requires particular types of people who can adapt and learn quickly. Engineering is one of the few fields that need change.

National Steel Car is a company that embraces the difficulty of engineering. As one of the top manufacturing companies in North America, it has engineers who have the best tools. Since its founding in 1912 as Imperial Steel Inc, National Steel Car has used technology, innovation, and commitment to building a dazzling reputation.

Currently, it’s Gregory James Aziz’s turn to lead the company to a brighter future. For over 100 years, National Steel’s upheld some of the highest standards. It’s extremely difficult to add to such a successful brand, but that’s exactly what James Aziz is doing.

Greg Aziz joined the company in 1994 and was named CEO shortly afterward. One of the first things he did differently was credit the company’s success to its workforce. He rarely takes any credit for himself, demonstrating the benefits of humble manners. His humble nature allows him to focus on bettering the company rather than his own career.

For the first part of his career, he focused on himself. He wanted to learn enough to one day lead a company or start his own. His first step was working at his family’s wholesale food business, Affiliated Foods. After that, he worked in investment banking in New York until joining National Steel Car.

Once he became CEO, he began improving the company’s efficiency while preserving the original high standards. Thanks to Aziz’s efforts, National Steel Car is a 13-time TTX SECO winning brand. To date, the company’s won that award for the last 13 years.

The one value that Aziz preserves more than any other is the company’s commitment to producing quality products. Regardless of how many awards he wins, he continues pushing the workforce to do better. He won’t allow the company to get comfortable or think it’s okay to settle for anything less than perfection.

His strive for excellence translates into success. Since taken over the company, they haven’t missed a deadline and National Steel Car is the only ISO certified manufacturer in North America. (Click Here for additional information).